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b2@dpu's Galaga (Arcade)
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| [June 9, 2008 10:12:34 AM]
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It truly is a dog-eat-dog world! In our society everyone is working to be successful and happy. It is the American dream to work, get married, buy a house, have a family, and stay one step ahead of the Jones. Much of our success in life is determined by what we have acquired. We want to have it all… the best job, the prettiest wife, the perfect (often the biggest) house, the perfect 2.5 child family, and to always be better than every one else is. This aspect of our society is illustrated in the arcade classic Pac-Man. Pac-Man is often credit as being a revolutionary video game because it was one of the first non-shooting and non-sports arcade games. The game is of the puzzle genre and the player has to successfully navigate Pac-Man through a maze while eating pac-dots and avoiding the ghosts. When Pac-Man is caught by one of the four ghosts (Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde) the player loses a life, after losing three lives the player dies and receives the game over message. On the other hand, Pac-Man can attack the ghost if he eats a power-pellet, which turns the ghosts blue and makes them vulnerable to be eaten by Pac-Man for a limited amount of time. Pac-Man further illustrates the dog-eat-dog nature of our society through the usage of the aspects of meaningful play.
The first aspect of meaningful play that Pac-Man uses to illustrate the dog-eat-dog nature of our society is descriptive play. This is accomplished by having the player accumulate points as the players Pac-Man eats pac-dots and bonus items while moving through the maze. If Pac-Man runs in to a ghost he loses a life and if he eats a bonus item he gains more points. This is discernable play because when Pac-Man completes an action, he eats a pac-dot or bonus item or is eaten by a ghost, there is a discernable outcome, he gains points or loses a life. This descriptive and discernable play is much like the real, dog-eat-dog world because for every action there is an outcome. Therefore, if you do something right in the real world you are rewarded where if you do something wrong you a punished.
Pac-Man also uses the evaluative method of play to show the dog-eat-dog nature of the real world by simulating the way that real life requires evaluative thinking and actions. This evaluative method of play includes both strategic play and integrated play. The strategic play is created because Pac-Man must avoid ghost and collect all the pac-dots while strategically using the power-pellets to eat the ghosts and complete the level. This illustrates how we, as people, must make choices on how we will accomplish are goals. The integrated play of the game is created by the fact that in order to complete the level you must eat all the pac-dots; therefore, if you leave a pac-dot at the beginning you must go back at the end and eat it before you can finish the level. This is symbolic of how in the real world there are things that must be done in order to accomplish ones goals.
In conclusion, Pac-Man through the use of meaningful play has illustrated the dog-eat-dog nature of our society. Although, this game may have pointed out this gluttonous nature it has done little to stop it. In fact people even spent lots of time and quarters in the arcades in attempts to beat the machines high scores. Although without a little bit on competition what kind of world would we live in??
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b2@dpu's Galaga (Arcade)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Saturday 24 May, 2008
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